About Olivet Episcopal Church

Children's sermon time

Olivet Episcopal Church is located at 6107 Franconia Road in Franconia (east of Springfield Mall).  Our Chapel, dating from 1853, sits on the corner of Franconia and Beulah Roads.  The church parking lot is situated on Beulah Road, right next to the Franconia Fire Station.

The 8:00 am morning service is held in the Chapel, while the 10:00 am service is located in the main church building, behind and to the left of the Chapel.

To get detailed directions from your location, please use the following link to Mapquest.

Sunday Morning Schedule:

Nursery care is provided from 9 am to 11:30 pm for infants and young children on the first floor of the church.

Wednesday Noon Service: in the Chapel, Holy Eucharist and healing service.

Staff:
Rev. Dr. David S. Harper, Rector
Donna Harper, Christian Educator & Administrative Assistant
Ruth Bedell, Organist & Choir Director

We are part of The Episcopal Church, USA and The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia.  Our worship is based on the Book of Common Prayer (BCP).

Our Congregation:
There is no simple characterization of our parish; we are diverse in ages, ethnic and cultural background, theological viewpoints, and worship styles. However, we all love Jesus Christ and each other. We have about 350 active baptized members and an average Sunday attendance of about 100. Half of us are between the ages of 40 and 60. We have between 35 and 50 new members each year.

Parish Mission:

• Glorify God through a variety of worship services, education, fellowship, community outreach, joyful music, service to youth, and our church family.
• Offer strong Christian pastoral and lay leadership to help us learn and spread God's word and make disciples who love and serve one another.
• Provide to the community a historic Episcopal church with a friendly congregation, embracing the authority of scripture and growing together in Christ's love.

Role of Scripture:
As Episcopalians, we believe that God inspired its human authors, that God speaks to us through it, and that it contains everything necessary for salvation. Our worship services include several readings from scripture; on Sundays, these readings are chosen according to a three-year lectionary and are followed by a sermon that generally expounds on these readings. Members of Olivet are expected to do additional Bible study and there are several small groups that meet for this purpose.

Stewardship and Pledging:
We believe that all of creation belongs to God and that we are the stewards of that creation. As Episcopalians we are called `to boldly claim God's abundant provision in our lives; to offer extravagantly our time, talent, and money to do God's work; and to practice tithing as a minimum standard of giving'. To help Olivet carry out God's work among ourselves, in our community, and in the world, members of Olivet are encouraged to pledge a portion of their financial tithe to Olivet each year. In addition to pledges, the second Sunday of each month is designated `Outreach Sunday' and the loose offering and any specified gifts are given to a selected organization. We expect members to contribute a portion of their time and their talent to Olivet.

Expansion Plans:
We have architectural plans for a new building to hold our main worship area and a nursery, and have raised funds toward its construction.   Olivet was granted a Mustard Seed Grant from the Diocese of Virginia in October 2005.  Bishop Lee wrote, "It is with great joy that I write to tell you that Olivet Church will be entrusted with a 2005 Mustard Seed grant of $50,000.  This grant is made on behalf of the entire Diocese to support the construction of your new worship space....On behalf of the over 87,000 baptized members of the Diocese of Virginia, congratulations and do well."

To view our plans, please click here  (please note this is a 10 MB powerpoint so it may take several minutes to load, but it's well worth the wait!)

Church Cookbook:
To order our church cookbook, Virginia Cookery Past and Present, (which has been written up in Southern Living magazine, please send $14.95 ($15.62 if you are a Virginia resident) to: